This invention is directed, in general, to means for subjecting blood culture bottles to visual examination for the growth of bacteria. More particularly, it is concerned with an instrument which is especially suited to enabling a blood culture bottle to be efficiently visually examined with reasonable assurance of detecting the presense, if any, of bacteria cultivated therein.
What is commonly termed a blood culture bottle is known as a bottle of clear transparent glass containing a liquid media of nutrients suitable for the cultivation of microorganisms, especially bacteria, that may be present in a blood specimen injected into the bottle.
It has long been a custom in making an examination of a blood culture bottle to manually hold it before a light and, while viewing the contents therein, to manipulate the bottle with the holding hand so as to bring various areas of the bottle before the eyes of the examiner.
This mode of examination has its faults, because of which the examination could at times fall short of being thorough. The presence of some bacterial growth in the bottle might accordingly escape detection. During the examination the bottle should be rotated a full 360.degree. because, at times, bacteria may have developed in a clump, a small cluster or a speck floating in suspension in some area of the media. But, the human hand is mechanically unable to be twisted enough to carry the bottle full circle. Accordingly, the examiner in using this conventional method will resort to various manipulations of the bottle in an effort to bring all areas of the bottle into view. Nevertheless, a shadow cast by the examiner's fingers or hand on the bottle or a cloud created within the bottle by hemolysis, together with poor illumination and a lack of magnification of the bottle could cause misleading readings or a failure to detect the presence of some bacterial growth.
A proper examination with close scrutiny of a blood culture bottle for bacterial growth is at all times a necessity in the interests of the patient concerned. Even a small degree of bacterial growth escaping the eye of the examiner could prove detrimental to a proper diagnosis and treatment of the ills of a patient.
Accordingly, the general object of this invention is to provide an instrument or device for enabling a visual examination of a blood culture bottle in a manner which is convenient, thorough, and avoids the faults associated with the customary method of manually holding the bottle before a light.
A more particular object of the invention is to provide a small hand-portable instrument which enables a visual examination of a blood culture bottle with a high degree of assurance to the examiner of detecting signs of bacterial growth, if any, in the contents of the bottle.
A further object of the invention is to provide an instrument for the examination of a blood culture bottle, on which instrument the bottle is seated upon a rotatable platform in favorable illumination, and is viewable by the examiner with both eyes through a magnifying lens.
Another object is to provide such an instrument wherein the illumination of the bottle is directed downward away from the eyes of the viewer.
The foregoing objects as well as others will become apparent as this specification continues in further detail.